Kota Kinabalu: Sri Tanjong Assemblyman Justin Wong said the State Government should compensate individuals, particularly those with low income, who have had to spend their own money to cope with the water supply crisis.
“One way to do this would be to waive water bill charges for a year. This would alleviate the financial burden faced by those who had to sacrifice their income during this difficult time,” he said during the debate on the Supplementary Supply (2023) Enactment 2023.
They had no choice but to buy water at exorbitant charges.
“I propose that the Water Department continue to deliver water to users in affected areas. In doing so, the delivery charges should be covered by the Water Department, alleviating the financial burden on the people,” he said.
He also said Tawau airport should be upgraded to an international airport in anticipation of Kalimantan becoming the future capital of Indonesia, adding it was a greater priority than relocating Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to Kimanis.
“The capacity of Tawau Airport is 1.4 million passengers. In 2018, the number of passengers exceeded this capacity, reaching almost 1 million people. In the year 2019, the total number of passengers recorded at Tawau Airport was 2.4 million.
The amount is expected to keep growing alongside the development in East Kalimantan due to the relocation of the new Indonesian capital.
“I believe it would be beneficial to upgrade Tawau Airport to international status prior to the relocation of KKIA to Kimanis,” he said.
He also highlighted numerous infrastructure challenges encountered by the Tawau Airport.
“I received numerous complaints regarding congestion in the international arrival hall. Despite having multiple open immigration counters, there is only one officer assigned to verify passports for foreigners.
As a result, international tourists have to deal with overcrowding due to limited space and are forced to wait in queue for hours, especially when multiple planes arrive simultaneously.
“In the departure lounge, both domestic and international tourists often find themselves standing for extended periods of time while waiting for their departure. This is primarily due to the limited size of the waiting room and insufficient seating facilities, which are unable to accommodate the passenger capacity adequately.
“This situation creates a negative perception to tourists. Public transport facilities, including buses, taxis, and e-hailing services, are extremely limited in Sabah, even after arriving at the airport and leaving its premises,” he said citing the recent incident involving Korean tourists who could not get public transportation to their accommodation upon arrival on a midnight flight.
“No e-hailing taxis could take them to their accommodation. The airport cab counter required Ringgit payment. Many tourists, especially foreigners, may not have Ringgit currency.
He also clarified that when he mentioned “roads” during the question-and-answer session, he was specifically referring to the access roads that lead into estate roads.
“The government should understand that after leaving their estates, people all over Sabah will use the government roads. However, these roads are currently in a dilapidated condition,” he said.
He cited Sungai Burung and Bukit Tajam in Tawau that had horrible roads with large potholes,
“If the Government can impose a 7.5 per cent sales tax and produce significant revenues from estate industries, they must prioritise road upkeep, especially the major road entering the estate.
“The government can encourage industry growth and reduce expenses by maintaining these road. The government collected RM6 billion from this industry in five years.
“I also hope the government would increase the RM80 million to RM90 million road maintenance funding. This is less than 10 per cent of Sabah Government revenue.
Thus, the Sabah Government should enhance its allocation for estate access road maintenance,” he said.
